morally exhilarating

Quite a few artists and performers have been cancelling their appearances at the Kennedy Center since Trump plastered his name on the Center.  One of them was Doug Varone and Dancers, a New York dance company that cancelled two performances scheduled for April.  

Mr. Varone, the head of the company, said it would lose $40,000 by pulling out.  He also said in an email quoted in the New York Times: “It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating.”

For 2026 let’s all do things that are morally exhilarating.

And if you want to do something that is simply fun, tape signs to Porta Potties and dumpsters and trash cans.  Take a Sharpie and some duct tape and write on a sheet of paper “Trump memorial toilet” or “Trump memorial dumpster” or whatever and stick it on.  Don’t get caught.

The Wounded Knee Massacre Anniversary

 Re-writing American history to make us look good is nothing new.  Yesterday was the anniversary of the Massacre at Wounded Knee on Dec. 29, 1890, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.  

Approximately 250 Lakota Indians were gunned down.  They were unarmed.  The dead included women and little children.  In some cases those little children were babies.  Their bodies were thrown into a ditch for burial.  

Twenty American soldiers were awarded Medals of Honor for this “battle.” 

I wonder if Hegseth will award medals to the troops who shot the men clinging to their boat off the coast of Venezuela.

Brigitte Bardot, 1934-2025

In 1956 her hit movie “And God Created Woman” was playing in the Palm Theater in Palmerton.  The movie was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for its sexual content and nudity.  American movies simply did not do that. 

Of course guys in Palmerton High School heard about the movie, read about it, and decided we had to see it.  Although I lived ten miles out of town, I could stay with my Aunt Florence on Lafayette Avenue if I had good cause.  So I told my parents I had to go to the library that evening and went to see Ms. Bardot.  

There must have been at least ten of us in the theater that night.  Everybody lied to their parents.  I think we made up a whole row.  The Catholic boys simply ignored the condemned rating from the Legion of Decency.  Today the film probably would get a PG rating.

I don’t remember the plot, but I do remember Ms. Bardot’s derriere all these decades later.  

In 1968 she was used as the first live model for Marianne, the symbol of French liberty.  In 1973 Ms. Bardot retired from films and devoted the rest of her life to the cause of animal rights, opposing bull fighting and the consumption of horse meat.  She was quite a woman.

Nancy Pelosi on achieving goals

You may remember that President Obama had difficulty getting his health care plan through Congress.  Nancy Pelosi gave him a pep talk:

“You go through that gate.  If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence.  If the fence is too high, we’ll pole-vault in.  If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in.”  

Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring from Congress at the end of this term, is one of my role models.  You can see why.

The quote is from "The Talk of the Town, The New Yorker (Dec. 5, 2022), p. 13.

The Proctor House of Naples, Maine

I’m pricing some vintage books I’ve collected over the years in preparation for selling them on Ebay.  Since I don’t know how to sell things on Ebay, I should say I’m pricing old books.  When I picked up one of them up a few days ago, an advertisement for the Proctor House and Cottages fell out.  The rates were from $21 to $35 a day.  From the women’s clothes in the pictures, I’m guessing the brochure was printed in the Twenties.  

Inside the brochure was a separate card entitled “Jews and Gentiles” that stated “Please read carefully.”  Here is the message.

We started in the summer tourist business thirty years ago.  Experience has convinced us that it is not good policy in a small summer resort to cater to both Jews and Gentiles, not only for our benefit but for theirs as well; so as the greater part of our friends and acquaintances are among the Christians and as our business has been almost entirely of the latter class we have decided, while we have no dislike for the Jews, to cater only to the Gentiles.  Therefore we ask you to accept it in the spirit in which it is given and abide by our decision and 

Oblige,

The Management of the Proctor House

Since the note says nothing about African-Americans or Asians, would they be accepted?  What about old white guys with really bad attitudes?

Dateline Dhaka

Tarique Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, returned to Dhaka from exile in Britain this week.  He is a leading candidate for the elections scheduled in February.  He was forced out of Bangladesh by the former prime minister, who used the government to charge him with dozens of crimes.

That prime minister was driven from power after huge demonstrations by millions of Bangladeshis.  After the military killed over 1000 people the demonstrations grew even larger.  Finally the dictatorial government resigned, and the former prime minister took refuge in India.

Mr. Rahman promised if his party wins in February, Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities will receive equal treatment along with the majority Muslim population.

I would hope it would not take over 1000 deaths in the U.S. to change our government.  I would hope before that the Courts and the Congress would act.  I would hope.  The lesson I get from this is that when millions of people demonstrate against a government, that government will eventually fall.

Information for this post is from Saif Hasnat and Mujib Mashal, “Top Bangladeshi Candidate Returns From Exile,”  New York Times, (Dec. 26, 2025), p. A7.

My Christmas message

I don’t send out one of those year-end summaries some people write at the holiday season, but I have been in contact with relatives, friends, SJSU colleagues, a prof I had at Penn State, and about a dozen former students.  I realized tonight that none of them are MAGA people.  I do know some–two classmates from the Palmerton High Class of 60, two cousins, a few neighbors–but I would say of that 100% of my friends are anti-Trump.

This is not necessarily a good thing.  It does illustrate the polarization of the country.  When Bush or Reagan was president, I had lots of friends and relatives who were Republican.  Trump changed that.  Fox News changed that.  January 6 and Jeff Bezos and Epstein and shooting people clinging to a boat in the ocean and rounding up hard-working brown people and supporting Putin changed that.  I, of course, am still friends with Republicans, in some cases good friends.  The cut-off point is whether or not they are traditional Republicans or MAGA Republicans.  If you are still supporting Trump and his cruelty and chaotic actions, then I am definitely not your friend.

What the Internet is for

I can appreciate what people felt like when they heard about this thing called “television.”  It would allow viewers to bring theatrical productions and concerts and political discussions and college classes into their own living rooms.  What we got was Judge Judy and Fox News and televangelists and “Survivor.” 

I was here for the beginning of the World Wide Web.  I remember the hype and the hope when we were first learning how to send messages by computer.  This was going to allow instant communication.  This was going to allow us to do research from our offices.  This had the potential to unite the globe.

And we got Facebook, an off-shoot of a program at Harvard to rate the hottest girls.  We got Pornhub and dick pics and Nigerian princes and AI deep fakes and conspiracy theories.  As a recent book title put it, we got “enshittification.”

I like it when I can still look at things I didn’t know; when I can find topics made clear that I didn’t understand.  I’ve always had trouble grasping the rules on “pass interference” in the NFL.  So tonight Linda and I watched a film on YouTube and saw a step-by-step explanation with various clips to illustrate types of pass interference, both offensive and defensive.  This afternoon I listened to Ringo Starr sing “Fastest Growing Heartache in the West.”  I saw a report about how CBS censored a news story on the imprisonment of deportees because it was embarrassing to the Trump administration.  

There are still a few positive things left in the on-line world.  You just have to find them.

Foreign Affairs magazine

There’s supposed to be a way to monetize this blog.  I think Google would let me put ads on it, and depending on how many people would view it, I could reap some rewards.  I think.

In any case, I’m putting in an ad for the magazine Foreign Affairs published by the Council on Foreign Relations.  The magazine comes out every two months, and the articles are amazingly good.  The last issue discusses why the great powers are stagnant and what could go wrong.  Another article looks at the problems for the U.S. national security caused by Trump’s trade wars.  What could happen in Iran after the Ayatollah dies?  Find out here.  What are former U.S. allies are doing to strengthen themselves as the U.S. pulls away from them?  Read “The New Eurasian Order.”

The articles are written by experts across the political spectrum. They are written for non-experts.  Arguments and disagreements occur.

The good news is that you can subscribe online.  I don’t.  I’m a print person, but the online subscription is cheaper.  Check it out.  

I should tell you that Foreign Affairs did not pay me for this ad. 

Holding office in the U.S.

In a democracy every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics,“holds office”; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities.

–John F. Kennedy

Congratulations to the Lumbee Indian Tribe

Finally the federal government has recognized the Lumbee Indian Tribe in North Carolina.  The recognition came in an amendment to the $900 billion military appropriations bill which passed with bipartisan support.

The Lumbees live in southeastern North Carolina and number about 60,000 members.  They were descendants from a number of tribes, and they intermarried with slaves and white settlers.  

If you are wondering why Trump would support recognition, Robeson County, where many Lumbees live, went for Trump by 28%  Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina also supported recognition, and the measure did have bipartisan support.

As one member of the tribe said of the bill, “It’s an acknowledgment that we’re still here.  After all these years–centuries–we’re still here.”

Information for this post was taken from Rick Rojas, Eduardo Medina, and Emily Cochrane, “After Fighting Through Generations, a Tribe is Recognized,”  New York Times, (Dec. 20, 2025), p. A19.

Goodbye Elise

Elise Stefanik has announced she is dropping out of the race for New York’s governor.  She was a moderate Republican when she was first elected to the House from upstate New York, but when Trump won his second term, she fell into line.  She should have learned that loyalty to Trump does not mean anything to him.

He appointed her to be Ambassador to the U.N., then pulled that appointment back when he realized it would reduce his margin in the House.  When she decided to run for governor, she expected his endorsement as a reward for being a good little girl.  She didn’t get it.  Now she is not running for governor and not running for reelection.  

I, for one, will not miss her even a tiny bit.

More Stupid Shit

Russell Vought, he of the Heritage Foundation and now director of the OMB, announced that the Feds would be dismantling the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Colorado because it was “...one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”  It is also the center of scientific research on what is happening to our planet.

Has Vought seen the data on climate?  Does he not understand that now is the time for alarm, although it may be too late?  Does he not know about desertification, declining snow pack, rising oceans, massive woodland fires, species eradication?

These guys are supposed be smart.  Supposed to make America great again.  How dumb can they be?

The presidential power to pardon

If we ever manage to take our country back and return to normal, and that is a big if, we must have a huge reform movement.  The Supreme Court needs term limits, the E.P.A. needs to return to its original mission, the independence of the Independent Regulatory Agencies like the FCC and the Fed must be protected, place names will need to be returned.  There are big tasks and little tasks, and it will take years, if....

One of the necessary changes is that the Presidential pardon power must be defined and limited.  This was actually a worry when the Constitution was up for ratification.  At least one commentator at the time noted that a President could be involved in crimes and then pardon the henchmen.  

We have had pardons in the past that were controversial, including some by Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.  What we didn’t have was the pardoning of literally thousands of law breakers, including dangerous and vicious criminals.  The power to pardon has usually been used to right wrongs, but we must make sure it can’t be abused as Trump has done so often.

American military power?

The question mark is there for a reason.  This past Sunday the New York Times devoted a full 14 pages to a subject entitled “Overmatched.”  The subtitle was “Why the U.S. Military Needs to Reinvent Itself.”  The lead article noted that U.S. military dominance was fading.  It is obvious that military weaponry and strategies are changing fast.  In the last few days an underwater drone sent by the Ukrainians destroyed a Russian submarine.  Guided drones can take out large tanks and perhaps aircraft carriers.

Many of the materials needed for modern warfare must be imported.  The U.S. builds very few ships.  We do not have the capacity to outbuild China, although we do when combined with our allies.  Oh, wait, do we even have allies anymore?  

Our R&D is suffering as universities are belittled and foreign scientists are refused visas or kicked out of he country.  Women in the military are downgraded.  Experienced generals are fired.  National guard forces are demoralized, used for immigrant roundups.  And the Secretary of Defense–excuse me, Secretary of War–is an alcoholic who thinks blowing up fishing boats and killing survivors shows how tough we are.  

We are in trouble. 

Trump on Rob Reiner's death

I am sure by now you have heard what Trump wrote about Rob Reiner.

How did this man ever get elected?  How does he have any support?  How can people stand to be in the same room with him?  I have never known a person with less empathy, more self-regard.  People say he is narcissistic.  I think he is a sociopath.

Another letter to Sen. Dave McCormick

Dear Sen. McCormick:

Thank you for sending me the statement you made to President Trump at his latest Pennsylvania rally.  Fawning over the President not a good look for you.  

Trying to ingratiate yourself to a goofball who is about to involve us in a war with Venezuela, deserts our allies, wrecks the economy, tears down a portion of the White House to build a ballroom, takes away protection for 85% of our wetlands, says global warming is a hoax, deports children, calls women reporters piggies....  I’ll stop there, but I think you catch my drift.  You are trying way too hard to be the teacher’s pet, and it is pathetic.

I know you have five years left on your term, but I don’t think voters will forget.  And Pennsylvania voters are not as stupid as you may think.  The judicial elections in November were a reminder.

Sincerely,

     Roy Christman

Tonight's awards go to...

Indiana, where Republican legislators refused to bow to Administration threats and voted against  gerrymandering their congressional district lines to elect more Republicans.  There are members of the Republican Party who still uphold American values, and they deserve our thanks.

Bulgarian citizens,  who turned out by the millions in Sofia to protest their government earlier this week.  The Prime Minister resigned after the protest.  The demonstrators surpassed the 3.5% mark, and it worked.

 

The Declaration of War on Venezuela

It’s a really busy season.  Presents to buy and wrap, holiday cards to send, parties to attend, notes to write–the list goes on.  Somehow during all this activity, I missed the news about Congress declaring war on Venezuela.  I don’t know what the vote was, or the rational for the Declaration of War, or what the strategy will be.  Will the draft be re-instated?  Do we have allies in this war?  Will we use atomic weapons?

I need to pay more attention.

Seizing the means of communication

One of the first acts of authoritarians is to seize control of the news media.  It is difficult for the populace to know what is occurring if the only sources of news are controlled by the government.  We’ve already seen Zuckerberg bend to Trump’s desires.  The Murdock family is complicit.  Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post are bent, the L.A. Times is bent, Trump has “Truth Social,” X is full of misleading racist crap.  And now CNN, which has already compromised with Trump in various ways, is about to be sold to Trump’s lapdogs who will do his bidding. 

I keep thinking I’ll be approached with an offer from the Trump family to change the tone of this blog.  Would I do it?  Depends on how much they offer.

Learning new things from the Trump administration

One of the most interesting things about the Trump administration is learning all kinds of things I never knew.  Here is just one small example.  Today I learned that the Environmental Protection Agency has discovered that human activity does not cause climate change.

I did know that Trump was pushing oil and gas and coal.  What I did not realize until today was that none of that has anything to do with climate change, which is evidently a hoax.  

I also found out that the E.P.A. under Administrator Lee Zeldin is about to rule that climate change does not threaten human health.  Evidently that is only the belief of what an E.P.A. spokeswoman called a “climate cult.”

Also, did you know that vaccines cause autism?  And this is the greatest economy ever.  

I didn’t know any of this.